For the first time in its history, Daimler Buses has been awarded the contract to plan and construct a complete electric bus depot and the entire charging infrastructure as a general contractor. The client is the newly founded MOIN Mobilitätsinfrastruktur und -betriebs GmbH Landkreis Lüneburg, or MOIN GmbH for short.

The depot is scheduled to start operations in early 2026. The investment amount for the overall project is €9.6 million.

From 1 January 2026, MOIN GmbH will take over all local public transport in the district of Lüneburg as well as Lüneburg’s urban transport system and will exclusively use quiet and locally CO₂-free eCitaro buses from the Mercedes-Benz brand.

Daimler Buses will carry out the complete construction of the site in close cooperation with proven local subcontractors, from civil engineering works to green areas and access barrier systems. For example, the scope of the depot construction project in Lüneburg includes the entire architectural services, all structural and civil engineering works, the complete installation of electrics, electronics and IT as well as the charging hardware, charging management and a photovoltaic system to cover a large part of the future power requirements in the new e-bus depot.

In addition to 20 charging points for electric buses, Daimler Buses will also install two transformers including a transfer station, an office and social building, a central scheduling department, an electric bus workshop, a vehicle wash and sufficient bus and car parking spaces.

In addition to the construction of the e-bus depot, Daimler Buses will deliver a total of 20 battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro solo and articulated buses to MOIN GmbH in separate batches. The first ten electric buses—five eCitaro solo buses and five eCitaro G articulated buses—are scheduled to be handed over in Lüneburg by the end of 2025; the remaining ten vehicles—seven eCitaro and three eCitaro G—by the end of 2026. Among other things, they are equipped with two wheelchair spaces, MirrorCam, a 360-degree or 270‑degree all-round camera system as well as a host of modern safety and assistance systems.

The two-door solo buses have a transport capacity of around 80 passengers, while the three-door articulated buses are designed to transport around 120 passengers. The solo buses have five battery packs for ranges of 300 to 350 kilometers, while the articulated buses achieve a range of 250 to 300 kilometers with seven battery packs. The vehicles are charged at the bus depot by plug charging via the power grid. To prepare for future pantograph charging concepts, they already have contact rails in the roof area. All 20 electric buses and the charging infrastructure are funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) from the special fund “Climate and Transformation Fund” as part of the “Guideline for the Promotion of Alternative Drives for Buses in Passenger Transport”.

Mobilitätsinfrastruktur und -betriebs GmbH Landkreis Lüneburg is a newly founded company for the re-municipalization of public transport in the Lüneburg district. The company is owned by the district of Lüneburg. From 1 January 2026, MOIN GmbH will be responsible for the operation of bus traffic in the entire service area, including the planning and organisation of timetables, routes, transport services and passenger services. The goal of MOIN GmbH is to make local public transport in the city and the Lüneburg region future-proof, climate-friendly and reliable.